Brian Friel’s award-winning play “Dancing at Lughnasa” is a memoir. It’s narrator, Michael, takes us back to his childhood, to the summer of 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg in northwest Ireland. In that charmed and formative moment of his life, he was surrounded by his four spirited aunts, his lively mother, his disoriented Uncle Jack, and wayfaring father.

But it is the festival of Lughnasa (pronounced LOON-asuh) that provides the metaphor for this play about the mix of pagan and Catholic cultures. A tribute to Lugh, the pagan god of rich crops, the festival was celebrated at harvest time. And although the festival included many activities, dancing was its most prominent.

And the unmarried Mundy sisters at the center of this play have deep within their Irish hearts a memory of how good it feels to dance with primal delight, even though it would not be proper for them to attend the festival.

Still, the most provocative scene in this play, directed by University of Maine theater department newcomer, Patricia Riggin, is when the sisters do cut loose and dance. It is a moment of abandon, provided by a wireless radio and the unrepressible desire to move one’s body rhythmically.

Actors Jennifer Ellen Nadeau, Dolora LaPenta, Deborah M. Elz, Kristina L. Galli and Gwyneth Anne Jones come to life in this spontaneous burst of joy.

Brian Hinds, who plays Uncle Jack, provides similarly energized scenes as he links the pagan practices of Ireland and Africa, where he worked as a missionary before returning that summer to his native land. Hinds lets his character slip right into that wildness. As Michael’s father, Richard Waddingham is primarily entertaining for his physical agility and grace.

On Friday’s opening night, much of the narration by William S. Mitchell, as Michael, lacked the natural charm and pacing of Irish storytelling. Friel’s language is always lyrical, and so tempts actors to slow down. But the language is also charged with a life and rhythm that can make this play whip by. Presumably, the pace will increase as the run of the show progresses.

The fragmented set, designed by Karel Blakeley, nicely underscores the cultural fragmention, and Steve Carignan’s lighting design captures the tones of summer.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” will be performed 2 p.m. April 27 and 30, and 8 p.m. April 28 and 29 at University of Maine Hauck Auditorium. For tickets, call 581-1773.